The invention relates to a vital sign display monitor, and more particularly, to an electroencephalogram (EEG) display monitor.
A monitor, which synchronously displays in a time-varying manner vital signs, such as an electrocardiogram (ECG), a pulse wave, blood pressure, and an EEG, has hitherto been used in the medical science field and in clinical settings.
An electroencephalogram (EEG) is in particular one of important vital signs taken into consideration at the time of pronouncement of brain death at a clinical site, as in the case of ascertainment of a deep coma, loss of spontaneous respiration, pupil dilation, or electrocerebral inactivity (ECI). Also, EEG is important when diagnosing a deep coma, or judging effectiveness of anesthesia.
There has hitherto been unavailable a monitor which can compare the amplitude of an EEG waveform of the past with that of a current EEG waveform during the course of an EEG waveform showing active amplitudes shifting toward ECI. In order to compare the amplitudes of EEG waveforms with each other, the comparison is performed making reference to EEG waveforms printed on paper. For this reason, there are required intricate operations, such as an operation of selecting EEG waveforms to be compared from among a large quantity of measured EEG data.
When explaining to a family that a patient is in the state of brain death, a doctor explains the level of decrease in the amplitude of an EEG wave, which in turn leads to ECI, while showing a real-time EEG waveform appearing on a monitor or an EEG waveform printed on paper after brain death in conjunction with an EEG waveform printed on paper before brain death. This case is also attended with the same intricate operations as those mentioned previously; that is, complicated operations for selecting EEGs to be compared from among a large quantity of measured EEG measurement data. Moreover, intricate operations impose on a family an emotional difficulty against calmly accepting the brain death of a patient. Even if an anomaly is found in an EEG, intricate operations for comparing a normal EEG with an anomalous EEG are still required.
Also, it is intricate to select EEGs to be compared from among a large quantity of measured EEG data for diagnosing a deep coma, or judging effectiveness of anesthesia.